THE SECOND COMING UNDERCARD

There was something for everyone on the undercard of Matchroom Sport’s ‘The Second Coming’ show at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena with British title contenders, world rated prospects, Welsh and Celtic champions all in action.

It only lasted less than twelve minutes but it all happened when Carmarthen’s welterweight Dale Evans (8-1-2, 3KO) met Mark Douglas (9-4-1, 4KO) in a bout that eventually ended in a Technical Draw. The opener was fairly uneventful but in the second, a hesitant Evans was on the receiving end of a flush slip-right hand that saw him touch down.

Incorrectly, referee Reece Carter didn’t rule it a knockdown and the action immediately commenced with Douglas scoring another knockdown seconds later – this time it was scored. Douglas is well known for his relentlessness but he had been patient up to this point. However, as Evans rose, Douglas’ natural instinct kicked in and he reverted to his all action style, forcing the Welshman to ride out a storm.

The bout concluded in the fourth round of a scheduled eight, just as Evans began to claw his way back in to the contest. A left hook along the ropes had momentarily rocked Douglas but moments later, another accidental head clash inflicted a horrendous cut above Evans’ left eye and the referee immediately ended the fight, not even referring it to the doctor.

The bout was ruled a Technical Draw as it hadn’t gone past four rounds and Evans’ cut required 15 stitches.

Despite enjoying a brief period of success, Welsh super-middleweight champion Tobias Webb (14-2-1, 2KO) was stopped by Liverpool’s Callum Smith (11-0, 9KO) in the second round of a challenge for the WBC International title.

Initially, Webb’s speedy jab allowed him to offset Smith and there’s an argument that he won the opener but it was short lived. In the following round, Smith sucked Webb in and unloaded sickening body shots with both hands. Webb fell to the canvas four times, bravely rising on three of those occasions, but Smith didn’t let him off the hook and justified all the hype observers have heard.

Alex ‘Bad News’ Hughes (1-0, 1KO) hit the ground running as a professional, showing a bit of everything on his debut as he scored a fourth round stoppage over Stoke’s Mark Till (2-8, 1KO).

The Maerdy middleweight hadn’t stopped anyone in his 53 fight amateur career but a barrage of punches in the final round forced referee Martin Williams to halt proceedings with a minute to go on the clock. In his typical fashion, Hughes started off by circling Till but gradually gained centre ring position and used Till’s aggression against him.

Welsh and Celtic super-bantamweight champion Robbie Turley (13-4, 3KO) notched another win on his return to the ring with opponent Marc Callaghan (19-34-1, 4KO), a two time British title challenger, retiring after two rounds with a shoulder injury, an injury he has suffered from before.

Little happened in the two rounds it lasted, Turley applied smart pressure, catching his opponent with a counter-left hook. The Welshman varied his jab as he poked and prodded Callaghan in to exchanging but nothing of note came back from the Englishman.

Turley was in the form of his career before a query of his brain scan delayed his career two years but since returning, the popular Cefn Fforest fighter has won two fights in two months and is on the trail for a British title challenge.

Celtic lightweight champion Mitch Buckland (7-0, 1KO) returned to the ring for the first time in nine months but showed no signs of rust as he made routine work of Daza Usher (6-2, 1KO). The visitors output was active but he was always second best as Buckland made sure that he had the first and last say in exchanges.

As the fight progressed, Buckland won each round more convincingly and the ambitious 20-year-old now wants British title eliminators. Referee Martin Williams scored the contest 60-54 to Buckland.

WBC International champion Chris Jenkins (15-0, 7KO) was forced to wait until the last fight of the night but he impressed again, stopping Nicaragua’s Miguel Aguilar in seven rounds on his march to a British title shot.

There was hardly a moment when Jenkins wasn’t in control and he was comfortable whether on the front or back foot. Referee Clarke Joslyn waved the contest off when Aguilar turned his back to Jenkins in the penultimate round, capping off an excellent all round display from the Swansea light-welterweight.